The leadership crisis within the Osun State Labour Party (LP) has intensified as the faction led by Mrs. Oluwayemi Susan Ojo has urged the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to refrain from recognizing candidates submitted by the faction led by Bello Adebayo for the upcoming 2025 Local Government elections.
In a letter addressed to the OSSIEC Chairman, Barrister Ashim Abioye, and signed by Mrs. Ojo and the party’s Secretary, Mr. Odesanya Kole Raphael, the faction emphasized that any candidate list from Adebayo’s faction holds no legal standing. The letter cited a 2018 Abuja Federal High Court ruling by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, which declared actions by Adebayo and his group null and void.
The Ojo faction further highlighted that Adebayo had been suspended by the party’s Osogbo Ward 12 Executives, a decision later ratified by the National Working Committee of the Labour Party. According to the Ojo faction, recognizing Adebayo’s candidates would be in violation of the Nigerian Electoral Act and the Constitution.
Mrs. Ojo’s group warned against a repeat of the 2023 Court of Appeal decision that annulled the election of 16 PDP members of the Plateau State House of Assembly due to internal party issues, resulting in their seats being handed over to APC candidates.
In response, Bello Adebayo insisted that he remains the authentic Labour Party Chairman in Osun, stating that he was elected at a congress and his tenure has not yet expired. He confirmed that he has submitted the list of LP candidates to OSSIEC, challenging those with concerns to approach the court.
With the Labour Party divided, it remains unclear how the dispute will impact the local government elections scheduled for February 2025.
